(1) Vancouver vs. (8) Los Angeles: The Canucks won the Presidents' Trophy for the second year in a row, after a bit of an early season hangover from losing to the Bruins in the Cup finals. They expect to have leading goal-scorer Daniel Sedin (concussion) back and they're deep everywhere. Goaltender Roberto Luongo might have a short leash, with Cory Schneider playing so well. Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick had a 1.96 goals-against average and 10 shutouts, but doesn't get much support from a team ranked 29th in scoring, despite a strong core of forwards. The Kings haven't won a playoff series since 2001 against the Red Wings.

Khan: Canucks in 6.

Savage: Canucks in 6.

(2) St. Louis vs. (7) San Jose: Were the offensively-challenged Blues exposed down the stretch, going 4-4-4 in their final 12 games? They rank 14th in scoring among playoff teams and lack a go-to star forward. But they don't give up much, leading the NHL in GAA behind a strong defense and one-two goaltending punch of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak. The Sharks are a hard team to figure, a supposed Cup contender that struggled to make the playoffs. They boast three 30-goal scorers (Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski) but lack secondary scoring. Still, a dangerous, if not unpredictable, team.

Khan: Sharks in 6.

Savage: Sharks in 7.

(3) Phoenix vs. (6) Chicago: Coyotes coach Dave Tippett continues to maximize what appears to be minimal talent. Former Red Wing Ray Whitney, at age 39, lead Phoenix with 77 points. Former Tampa Bay castoff Mike Smith has had a tremendous season in net and probably won't melt down in the playoffs like Ilya Bryzgalov did. The Coyotes, who always seem to be living on borrowed time, haven't won a playoff series since moving to the Desert in 1996. The Blackhawks might have found their groove, going 12-2-4 in their final 18, all without their best player, Jonathan Toews (concussion), who's due back in this round. Chicago's defense and goaltending (Corey Crawford) are suspect, but it has too much firepower (Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa) for Phoenix.

Khan: Blackhawks in 6.

Savage: Blackhawks in 6.

(4) Nashville vs. (5) Detroit: Was the Red Wings' late-season slide (7-11-4) simple due to their rash of injuries? Or is it a sign of deeper problems? And will they be able to overcome their shoddy road record (17-21-3), which ranks 15th among playoff teams? When healthy and clicking, Detroit has the talent and depth to go a long way. Special teams will be huge; it's an area Nashville (No. 1 on power play) has a decided edge. The Predators beefed up late in the year by adding Alexander Radulov, Andrei Kostitsyn, Paul Gaustad and Hal Gill, raising expectations for a team that was strong defensively and in goal. The Red Wings' postseason experience could be the difference in what is expected to be a tight, hard-fought series. The Predators didn't win their first series until last year.

Khan: Red Wings in 7.

Savage: Predators in 6.

Eastern Conference

(1) N.Y. Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa: The Rangers stumbled a bit down the stretch, going 10-9-1 in their final 20 games. But they have high-end forwards in Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards, good depth, and most importantly, perhaps the best goalie in the league in Henrik Lundqvist. The Senators surprised many by making the playoffs under first-year coach Paul MacLean, the former Detroit assistant. But they rank last among playoff teams in goals against, and that will get them nowhere this time of year.

Khan: Rangers in 6.

Savage: Rangers in 5.

(2) Boston vs. (7) Washington: It was a strange hot and cold season for the defending Cup champion Bruins. It's hard to repeat (last team to do it was Detroit in 1997 and '98), but Boston has the talent, depth, size and goaltending to make another long run. The Capitals are the most disappointing team in the league, one that went into the tank after a 7-0 start and looks unmotivated a lot of nights. But they're also a dangerous club with tremendous talent (Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin) when they feel like playing.

Khan: Bruins in 7.

Savage: Bruins in 5.

(3) Florida vs. (6) New Jersey: Far and away the least-exciting series. That seems to be the case often with the Devils. They're far from flashy, but very efficient under former Florida coach Pete DeBoer. New Jersey could be a sleeper. It has star power (Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, Zach Parise), one of the all-time greats in goal (Martin Brodeur) and the best penalty killing in the league. Revamped Florida ended the NHL's longest playoff drought (10 seasons) and is seeking its first series win since its surprising run to the Cup finals in 1996. The Panthers, led by former Red Wings prospect Tomas Fleischmann's 61 points, don't stand out in any category and will have trouble scoring.

Khan: Devils in 6.

Savage: Devils in 7.

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia: The Keystone State rivalry will be an entertaining series with a plethora of storylines, following the bad blood between the teams (and their coaches) late in the season. The Flyers will regret finishing one point ahead of New Jersey to draw this tough matchup. The Penguins feature the likely Hart Trophy winner in Evgeni Malkin and former MVP Sidney Crosby, who had 25 points in 14 games since returning from a concussion. They went 17-4-1 in their final 22 games. The Flyers, led by likely Hart finalist Claude Giroux, have plenty of offense, but their defense is suspect and Bryzgalov has much to prove.